The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-11
WHAT ENGLAND THINKS OF US
A Review OF American History by
tho Lending British journal.

ordinary kind II commentaries the birthday
OF nation which has already won It's way to
foremost place among the great nations Of
tho world. aud to whose future development
In strength and wealth and numbers no limit
whatever can be assigned. II is just one hun
lred years to-day since the written constltu
ton OF United States OF America was signed
by the delegates at Philadelphia, aud since
the thirteen original states of the union we're
bound together by federal tie which has
never been broken and which subsists still,
the symbol aud safeguard OF a common ma
tonal life This is the event, unprecedented
In the worlds history, which the American
people have now met to commemorate. They
look back to 1t with an enthusiasm which we
can well understand and which commands
our full sympathy. Their constitution has
made them what they are. II found them a
handful Of small states, united in name only,
and without the reality OF a common govern
ment II made them nation, and thus start
ed them on n career Of progress which Las
continued ever since, and which no checks or
Interruptions by the way have brought TO a
Btandstill. The history Of the United States
during the past hundred years has been one
long record Of growth and expansion, and OF
hnal triumph over difficulties and obstacles of
no slight magnitude The thirteen states
have been increased to thirty eight, holding
territory more than ten times its original ex-
tent aud including population more than
twenty times as numerous as that in whose
name the constitution was first signed. The
national unity has been sorely tried by rebel
lion and by civil war but 1t has borne the
.F..t. s,..l.r IL
en- The great change has been that the faint
Of slavery, which attached TO the original con-
stitution has been now finally washed out,
aud that America has become, what she was
not in 1881, free country for ALL without
distinction of race or color or parentage. A
hundred years is no long time in the history of
anatlou, but IL has been long enough to bring
the United States into the front rank, and to
give prospect and promise OF an indefinite
further advance. The United States, as we
know them, have been the product OF one
century. TIER future destiny We will leave
10 native orators, who can hardly 20 beyond
the truth, If Ye may judge in any degree from
the past
The condition Of the United States has been
asubiect Of very general laudation in the old
ed b. those who live under IL to be the perfec-
ton of human wisdom, and IL has been spoken
Of In terms of almost equal praise by those
who have admired IL from afar Mr.. Bright
writes enthusiastically of it, In Mr. Glad
stones view, 1t is the most wonderful work
ever struck of at given time by the brain
and purpose OF man. A constitution which
has served It's end needs no defense, and Is in
danger from no attack. But II is little
doubtful whether the constitution of the
United States and the far sighted wisdom OF
Its authors deserve all that has been said about
them The arrangement made aud accepted
in 1851 by the assembled delegates Mt Phila-
dephla bears signs throughout of the compro-
mise, which, IN fact, It was There were local
iealoIsies TO he overcome before any agree
ment could be made The smaller states
were fearful OF being sWamped by the larger
ones, and their delegates, In guarding against
this danger, insisted on precautions which the
larger states were not willing to grant. More
than once in the course of the conference did
IL seem we-high impossible TO reconcile the
conflicting views and wishes OF the delegates
from several states, but In some way or other
each difficulty, as 1t occurred, was met aud
finally surmounted. Great patience good
sense, and a willingness to give aud take were
the qualities most needed by those to whom
the hard task had been assigned of framing
laws for a people whose first wish was to be
bound BY no law but their own. But the ex-
igencles of the situation were imperative
central authority had to be called into exist
ence as the essential condition of true
national life, and those who most disliked IL,
and were most unwilling to invest 1t with the
realty OF power, were forced at length To
submit on pain Of the national disruption
which a different course mus' have
brought about The work done by tho dele
uatae at phflodpluhia. hOWpyer mich IL NAV
be praised now, was not much praised at the
time. No state was satisfied with 10, and no
Individual member of a state. 10 was adopted
and ~ Has defended us The bcs' result po'slnle
In the circumstances OF the case, and with this
scant measure of approval II passed into law.
The original draft as put forward by the
delegates from Virginia, was cut about ana
altered at the instance OF the smaller states.
II was over the formation OF the senate That
the contention was most warm. The agree
ment finally arrived at about the election OF
congress, AS 10 Is well known, was that the
states should be represented In the lower
house according to their population, but that
In the senate all should be represented alike.
Each state was b send two senators, aud when
this had been settled, aud when the senate,
thus formed, had had the power assigned toit
Of confirming or rejecting all appointments by
the executive chief and all treaties with
foreign countries, then, and not I'LL then, did
the smallest states feel themselves safe. But,
even so, matters did not proceed with
universal consent The rule adopted that
any nine Of the thirteen states might vote the
constitution into existence, and that II this
were done the minority must give wav, was
strong measure savoring OF force rather than
Of free consent II was no dead letter. for 1t
was applied 10 compel Rhode Island aud South
Carolina to ioln the union against their own
wishes and protests TaHtq niolis erdt cOHdere
genfen,. 30 hard a task was il, aud so rough
The methods required to bring the United
States into being Slavery, as we have said,
was recognized by the original constitution.
The slave states were allowed 10 reckon three
afths Of their slave population To make mp
ihn tnennhnrs nrcnrlinr L. which iheN WIRE TO